Important Information Regarding Kindergarten Registration for the 2018-19 School Year:

Kindergarten registration will begin on January 31, 2018 for school year 2018-19. Please note that the parent(s) of any Kindergarten eligible student should register with the Wellesley Public Schools even if they are interested in deferring their child’s attendance for one school year. These written requests will allow us to plan more effectively for space and staffing needs for the incoming and future cohorts of Kindergarten students. Additionally, this information will help us create more transparency and consistency around the admissions process moving forward.

Recently the Wellesley Public Schools district has partnered with the consulting group The Kingston Bay Group to work with us around assessing the current climate of our schools. We have a strong desire to make sure we are doing proactive work around making our schools safe and welcoming for all kids. We believe partnering with the Kingston Bay Group is another effort to breathe life into our core values. Your participation in this survey will provide data that will help us reach that goal:

In addition, students will also be asked to fill out a survey on Tuesday, November 14th during an extended advisory so that we can hear their voices as well. Their participation is voluntary, but we would appreciate as many of their responses as possible.

Finally, you should know we have asked all our staff to fill out a survey designed for them. The Group is also conducting interviews and focus groups in an effort to develop a more complete set of qualitative data.

This assessment of our climate is essential work for our school and our community. Thank you for your help making it happen.

SPONSORED POST: The Wellesley Square Merchants’ Association is getting ready for the always popular Mom’s Day Out, and this year it will be even better because the event has expanded to two days. On Friday, September 15 and Saturday, September 16, 10am – 6:30pm, scores of stores throughout Wellesley Square will participate by offering discounts, special offers, and surprises. Why are they doing all of this? Because Moms rock, that’s why.

SHOPPING: Dozens of stores are participating. Just to name a few…London Harness; Page Waterman Fine Framing, which is celebrating its 100 year anniversary; Wellesley Holiday Boutique; Wellesley Toy Shop; and Anderson’s Jewelers. When you see the Mom’s Day Out sign in the shop window, you’ll know you’ve found a go-to spot for special offers and deep discounts on everything from toys, clothing, and books to home decor, handbags, and more. And here’s a little secret: all this good stuff is available to not just moms, but to everyone else. Moms are inclusive sorts who wouldn’t dream of keeping the fun all to themselves.

PARKING: All this and free parking too starting at 10am, thanks to the Town of Wellesley.

The Wellesley Recreation Department’s fall/winter brochure is now available online, and registration for Wellesley residents is taking place now. Programs include everything from ski programs for kids at Nashoba Valley to Still Life and Observational Drawing for adults to puppy kindergarten.

One of the great pleasures of summer in Wellesley is the Wellesley College Davis Museum‘s family-friendly Outdoor Summer Film series. Picture you and your family, outside on the Davis Plaza on a warm summer evening in a relaxed atmosphere where nobody raises and eyebrow if the little ones get antsy. Sounds like summer heaven to me. Included in the festivities will be art activities, tours of the galleries, and extended museum hours. There’s free popcorn for the kids, and free beer for parents, so there’s just no way you can go wrong here.

Museum open until 7 p.m.

Art activities from 7-8 p.m.

Screenings start at 8 p.m.

Thursday, August 10, The Iron Giant — A giant alien robot crash-lands near the small town of Rockwell, Maine, in 1957. Exploring the area, a local 9-year-old boy, Hogarth, discovers the robot, and soon forms an unlikely friendship with him.